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Monday, July 30, 2012

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

When I was in Romania, I was served a lot of traditional Romanian foods. My favorites were mici (sausages) and sarmales, which are stuffed cabbage rolls. They are absolutely delicious and I've never had anything as good in the states.

I came across this recipe for stuffed cabbage casserole and I thought it looked and sounded delicious. It also looked like it would take a lot less time to make than stuffed cabbage rolls. I was right--it was very easy to put together. It doesn't taste exactly like a sarmale, but it was the closest I've ever had here.

Mike and I both enjoyed this meal, but we thought the ratio of cabbage to filling was off, so I've adjusted the recipe to reflect that. This recipe makes a large pan full, so we had lots of leftovers. It freezes well so I have enjoyed quite a few lunches from this dish!

5. While the meat mixture simmers, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped cabbage and cook until the cabbage is wilted and about halfway cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

6. When the meat mixture has thickened, stir in the cooked brown rice.

I just made this for dinner. I have tried, for years, and the recipes have always fallen short. This one did not. The kids ate it well and the 11 month old is still shoving it in his face. I have pinned and shared.

I just put this together but in the crockpot. Fingers crossed it turns out. Same concept, just did not cook the cabbage. I sprayed the crock with oil, put half the chopped cabbage in, seasoned it with basil, oregano, garlic salt, tomato bouillon, pepper & paprika, added the cooked hamburger and onions, 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, one can of Italian Tomatoes and one can tomato sauce, then I repeated the layers a second time. I'm cooking on low all day and will shred cheese when its done. Ill let you know how it cooks down and works.